Kensho: Ikokan Necromancy
Kensho: The Art of the Soul and Inner Demons Kensho or Ikokan Necromancy is based around ancient writings of hermit monks, lunatics that cling to the dark fringes of the Island Nation and a loose network of contemporaries who keep these texts safe from destruction for further study and understanding to defeat those who practice it. Kensho, or “True Nature” is a term used by those who practice the dark art as a form of sarcastic and cynical moniker to express their views of the soul and its place in the world. The teachings of Kensho teach that all that live will eventually decay and blow away as dust, the true nature of all things merely a transitory state that can be manipulated on either side of life and death. Those who practice Kensho are rare, few teaching their art due to the nature of the magic itself. Those who learn Kensho are most often in possession of the ancient manuscripts either from having stolen it or having it passed down from their mentor in another form of magic. The magic itself is a deeply personal one, filled with the philosophical outlooks of mad men where the true spells and arts are hidden away in. Kensho is outlawed in Ikoku as it is in many places, the manipulation of the dead and the souls of the living beyond taboo in Ikokan religion. The most sacred text of Kensho is known as the Impure Bamboo Grove, written by Shunryu Munashii, is said to hidden in his tomb and guarded by the ancient shugenja’s undead army and his own tormented soul. It is said in many of the other texts that each is a copy of the Impure Bamboo Grove, bits and pieces left missing like a broken puzzle whose pieces have been cut in places so they can never be put back to the full picture. Should one find the ancient tome it is certain that the knowledge of Shunryu Munashii could be put to use to elate any practitioner of Kensho to the pervious masters level. The other texts are not to be discounted either however, each holding not just bits and pieces of the legendary first treaty on the art but the writings of their owners and their experiences which aid those who also wish to learn the magic on their own. A collection of several of these books have been combined into the book known as Second Clearing of the Impure Grove. The Dark Corridor: General Powers of Kensho In the spiraling ravings written in the ancient texts and new alike one can find the spells, rituals and seals that grant those who study them the power so desired within Kensho. Kensho controls the spirits of the dead, peeling back the barrier between life and death and drawing forth souls to push into the bodies of corpses. Potent versions of such spells can even recall the powers of those souls, especially if the practitioner uses a piece of the soul’s previous body or possession to empower the spell. All such manipulation of the dead create a similar function to a summoned entity, creating a large coffin for the undead minion which is connected to a special seal created by the user which allows him to cast away the coffin or summon it forth. These spells are known as “Personal Contracts” and are difficult to maintain, limiting the number of each to the expertise and general power of the Kensho user. While their numbers are low, each is imbued with an unearthly vitality that when active gives them the appearance of life though cracks around the eyes and black sclera offer the more observant fairly good evidence that something is going on. It is known that Personal Contracts were created by more fearful members of the Kensho users ranks to hide their actions more easily. Most users can only hold two or three Personal Contracts, causing them to search for valuable corpses over common ones. Personal Contracts have personalities and minds of their own though cannot disobey an order from the holder of the seal. The path to creating a Personal Contract is a gruesome one, needing the sacrifice of a living creature to take the soul summoned by the initial ritual who must be buried alive. The earth must then be drawn upon by the binding seal which draws the soul of the intended individual who then transforms the corpse of the freshly dead into their own body. The seal binds the soul within their new body, the earth around them forming the summoning coffin. Kensho users can animate larger groups of undead if they wish numbers of power, calling forth animal souls to place in dead bodies, allowing for more numbers at the cost of individual power and control. Such manipulation of undead packs are easier to hide but cannot be summoned away. Various forms of undead have been created by this method, and while weaker individually than Personal Contracts, such undead hold varied powers with little limit on the range or function of what they can do. Along with the other benefits, creating such hordes is much easier, cost effective and cheaper to replace in the long run. Most who practice Kensho favor this method as it attracts far less attention than it would to steal personal belongings of the famous dead. It is also much easier to invoke the souls of animal spirits, and to repair the undead who are merely made of bone and rotting flesh rather than repairing actual “living” vessels. This art also allows Kensho users to imbue multiple souls into a single entity to create more powerful undead, imbuing each with more animal cunning and dark energy. Along with the manipulation of souls and dead corpses, Kensho differs from western necromancy as the magic to leech energy from living entities does not exist within their model. However, as if to make up for this fact those who practice Kensho have wrapped other darker aspects of Ikokan magic into their fold. Kensho users can will forth Yokai, personal demons created from the users own spirit. Such Yokai are difficult to hide and cannot move far from their owners due to their personal connections. Yokai that are harmed transfer some of their pain to their summoner, making such magic dangerous to the user if they use more than one. The death of a Yokai causes a Kensho user to fall unconscious, a terrible consequence during combat. Kensho users can also bind and seal locations from spirits, blocking their passage and preform rituals to banish spirits and demons from mortal bodies. Such uses are easily hidden as more spirituality pure magics and many Kensho users sell talismans to those afflicted for high prices. These purging rituals and trinkets are perhaps the only positive aspect of the Kensho Arts.